Dating Conspiracies
by Erin Primette
Summary: After Sentinel Prime and Charlotte Mearing get into another argument, Lennox and Epps set them up to go out on a date without their knowledge. Who knows what's in store for them?


This was inspired by a prompt which can be found on my profile. I RPed this with a fellow TF fan who likes Sentinel Prime. And lately, I found myself attracted to Sentinel Prime for some reason.

Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro/Michael Bay.

* * *

Sentinel and Mearing were just having another argument, much to the dismay of the army soldiers. Even Lennox and Epps facepalmed at the sight. Mercifully, the two cranky beings ended the argument. While muttering some Cybertronian swear words, Sentinel stomped away from Mearing's office and stopped after catching a glimpse of the two soldiers staring at him.

"What are you two looking at?" barked Sentinel, giving a grouchy old man stare.

"N-Nothing, sir," stammered Lennox.

"Hmph," replied Sentinel, "I need to go hit something."

Sentinel stamped out of the hangar.

"I swear to Primus," grumbled Sentinel to himself, "that organic is going to drive me mad!"

With Sentinel out of the area, Epps leaned closer to Lennox's ear.

"I wonder what went up his ass and died," remarked Epps.

Just then, Mearing stepped out of her office and let out a sigh.

"Ask Mearing, 'cause here she comes," suggested Lennox.

"I heard that," barked Mearing, "why did we even allow this nutcase to stay here? I swear to God he drives me nuts!"

Lennox and Epps shared a glance.

"It would appear the feeling is mutual," commented Lennox, imitating Sentinel, "he was just muttering about how 'that organic is going to drive me mad!'"

"Along with a string of other things we won't repeat," added Epps.

"There _**are**_ no mutual feelings," countered Mearing, "now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to file a complaint with Optimus Prime."

"That'd be a waste," clarified Epps, "Optimus likes him. It's like Sentinel's his dad or something."

Suddenly, they heard the sound of clashing blades outside, as if someone is sparring.

"Anyway," continued Epps, "it sounds like he's occupied."

"Then why don't you file the complaint for me?" suggested Mearing, "I have some paperwork to do."

With that said, Mearing returned to her office, leaving Lennox and Epps confused.

"Am I the only one who's seeing double here?" asked Lennox.

"They hate each other," mused Epps, "yet they act like each other. Kinda funny, actually; they're perfect for each other."

Lennox thought about what Epps just said for a moment. While thinking, he somehow came up with an idea in his head.

"Yeah," nodded Lennox, "they are perfect together, aren't they…"

"So, you got any ideas?" asked Epps.

"How about we find Optimus and tell him about it?" suggested Lennox.

"Yeah, let's do that," nodded Epps.

Lennox and Epps meandered through the hangar until they made it outside, where Sentinel and Optimus were sparring with each other.

"Maybe we should wait until he's done with this little sparring session," whispered Lennox.

Just as he finished speaking, Sentinel knocked Optimus's blade aside and tapped his neck.

"Dead," asserted Sentinel, "you will need to work on your defensive speed next time."

"I will," nodded Optimus, "thank you."

Nodding wordlessly, Sentinel left as Optimus focused his optics on Lennox and Epps, kneeling down to their level.

"Do you two need something?" asked Optimus.

"It's about Sentinel and Mearing," answered Epps, "basically, Lennox thinks they're a good couple and he wants to set them up."

"What does this have to do with me?" inquired Optimus.

"We can handle Mearing," replied Lennox, "but Sentinel might accidentally on purpose step on us. And he's more likely to listen to you, since he can just pull rank with us."

"So could you help us trick Sentinel into going out on a date with Mearing?" requested Epps.

"I can't wait to see how this turns out," Optimus gave a low chuckle, "so, what are you going to tell Mearing?"

"We'll come up with something," answered Epps, "just convince Sentinel to be her car for a recon job."

"And then take the other bots out so he's her only option," added Lennox.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind driving a firetruck," agreed Epps, "we really need a break from hearing them bicker all the time, anyway."

"I'll see what I can do," nodded Optimus.

"Thanks, Big Buddha!" smiled Epps.

Later that evening, Mearing sighed as she stepped out into the hangar, looking for a car so she can do her recon job. Much to her dismay, there weren't any cars in the hangar. She could hear a loud snoring from the huge Rosenbauer Panther as she approached it.

"Where are the cars?" demanded Mearing, "I can't go on a recon job without one."

All of a sudden, the truck transformed, revealing a cranky Sentinel.

"For Primus' sake," groaned Sentinel, "can't a bot get any recharge here?"

Sentinel then focused his optics on Mearing.

"Oh, it's you," said Sentinel, "what do you want?"

"I was asked to do a recon job," replied Mearing, "but I can't find any cars around here. What are you doing here?"

"Well," answered Sentinel, "I don't go home with a human, and Optimus asked me to watch the base while he and the others check a mine for energon veins or something like that."

"Then could you take me to the destination where I'm supposed to do my recon job?" requested Mearing, "I know how to get there."

"Fine," sighed Sentinel, "I'm already awake anyway, but no backseat driving."

Sentinel transformed back into his alternate mode and his driver door opened, prompting Mearing to climb inside. The firetruck then drove out of the hangar and out of the base. For a long while, he drove through the countryside until they reached an isolated pond.

"We're here," announced Mearing.

Sentinel opened his driver door, allowing Mearing to hop out before he transformed into his robot mode.

"Are you sure this is the destination?" asked Sentinel.

"Yes," nodded Mearing, "I was told it would take me an hour to carry out this recon job, but now that I think about it, I don't see anything that's worth investigating."

"It's nice out here, actually," replied Sentinel, "I'd prefer it in the hangar, however."

"Strange," pondered Mearing, hands placed on her hips, "where did that attitude of yours go all of a sudden? You usually have that short temper."

"You woke me up and dragged me out to Primus knows where in the middle of the night," snapped Sentinel, "I'm not a young mech, so excuse me if grandpa here is too slow for you; and usually, there's no annoying woman snapping at me."

Sentinel stalked over to the pond and Mearing noticed a slight limp in his right leg.

"Although I admit," continued Sentinel, "you had the nerve to stare Ironhide down and put him in his place when you two first met."

"Well thank you," replied Mearing, "it's part of my job. I guess you Cybertronians aren't always that violent."

"Not those of us with at least half a processor in our heads," grumbled Sentinel, "of course, some cancel that out when they have too much high grade. Then there's Decepticons, who make good speeches, but have worse aim than a blind sparkling with no limbs. And finally, there are those like Starscream, who are just plain stupid."

"And what about you?" inquired Mearing.

"Eh," Sentinel shrugged, "I never was one to drink much; special occasions or every once in a while. I can hold my own in a fight, but I'm not as good as I once was."

Sentinel groaned in pain.

"Not with my old age and my slagging leg!" groaned Sentinel.

Wincing in pain, the limp was more prominent for a few steps, and then it went back to what it was before.

"Maybe the cool water will help it," continued Sentinel, "I hope you don't have somewhere to be, because I'm staying here for a while. Primus, you humans are needy."

While Sentinel dipped his legs into the pond, Mearing stepped forward and sat down next to him.

"Well, if I wasn't asked to carry out this recon duty," sighed Mearing, "I would've simply turned in for the night."

"And you wouldn't have bothered me," added Sentinel.

Sighing, Sentinel sat down at the edge of the pond with his legs still submerged in the water.

"Oh yes," mumbled Sentinel to himself, "that's much better."

"Since we're stuck here for a while," mumbled Mearing, "I wonder what Cybertron is like."

"Look around and picture all of this, but made of metal," answered Sentinel, glimpsing at the stars before returning his gaze to her, "at least it used to be, but it's on its last legs now. The wars have used up its resources and its sun is nearing the end of its life. Anyone who's not with the factions doesn't survive long. Diseases have gone wild, and so have crime and violence. I guess you could say it's just like a human city now."

"Does that explain why you and the Autobots are taking refuge here?" pondered Mearing.

"Yes," nodded Sentinel, "the planet cannot sustain everyone. Those who are able to leave and seek refuge elsewhere are doing so, and this occurs in both factions. It's rather ironic how alike our races are. Both waste resources on pointless war and violence, many of you trying in vain to survive. You fool yourselves, and without your technology, you're like sparklings; completely helpless."

"And you are simply machines to us, aren't you?" remarked Mearing, standing up.

Not surprisingly, Sentinel glared his optics at Mearing.

"We are people," growled Sentinel, "but you humans treat us as though we are nothing more than stupid, mindless machines! What you call heaps of scrap metal, we call fallen comrades; friends, family members, loved ones…"

Sentinel looked down softly.

"…Mates," continued Sentinel.

"Is that so?" mused Mearing.

"We only want to be treated as equals," admitted Sentinel, "as people."

Sentinel lowered his hand, allowing Mearing to climb on. He then lifted her up and let her sit on his shoulder.

"Sentinel," asked Mearing, "what did you really intend to use your space bridge for?"

"There weren't enough vehicles for everyone who was leaving," sighed Sentinel, gazing up at the sky, "my family was among those. I became an engineer so I could find another way to move people, but then I became a Prime, and politics got in the way; so I… made an impulsive choice… for which, if I follow through with it, the penalty… is death."

"And you're not going to tell me more about it?" replied Mearing, "I understand."

Sentinel turned his face away.

"I-I made a deal with Megatron," admitted Sentinel, "to use the space bridge to transport Cybertron to the location of the AllSpark once he found it and use it to try to rebuild our planet. If the AllSpark wasn't found, we would use some other planet for resources to rebuild, to save our world."

Sentinel shook his head.

"I never thought it would come to deciding between our homeworld," continued Sentinel, "and my faction. It would be the biggest betrayal in our history if I follow through with it."

"Wasn't there some other way where you didn't need to make a deal with Decepticons?" asked Mearing, "and don't you think transporting one planet closer to another is a bad idea considering that doing so would put them in danger of colliding with each other?"

"It was a snap decision," replied Sentinel, "we were cocky at the time since the Autobots had the upper hand. And as for the planets, Cybertron would take over the main orbit while the other planet would become its satellite."

"Then maybe you should think about what you're doing," suggested Mearing, "by making this deal, you are not only betraying the Autobots, but also the humans."

"Primus, Mearing," growled Sentinel, "you think I don't know that? I already made the deal vorns ago. Now, Megatron is expecting me to hold up my end, but I can't; not with only five pillars."

Mearing didn't say anything, but she sat still and thought over what she just learned from Sentinel. How will the people on Earth react to this news if they found out? She could imagine not many will accept this fate. After a long while of silence, Sentinel plucked Mearing off his shoulder and lowered her to the ground before standing to his feet and stepping out of the pond.

"You, uh…" asked Sentinel, "you want me to take you home?"

"I would love that," nodded Mearing, "thank you."

"She'd have loved it here," mumbled Sentinel to himself, distracted.

"Did you say something?" asked Mearing.

"I was thinking of Alnai," explained Sentinel, "my mate. She was killed in battle on Cybertron. She would've loved this place. I've been trying to move on, because I know that's what she'd want, but I haven't found anyone yet."

"Ah, I see," replied Mearing.

"She was my first love," nodded Sentinel as he slowly limped over to Mearing, "and she has been my only. Her last wish was for me to save the little ones; our children."

"And what became of your children?" asked Mearing, curious.

"They are currently mortal enemies," answered Sentinel, "you already know Optimus, the younger, and I did tell you of the deal I made with Megatron, the eldest."

Without saying anything further, Sentinel transformed into his alternate mode and allowed Mearing to climb in. He then drove down the road until they reached her apartment.

"Now do you understand why this decision is so hard?" asked Sentinel, "I must abandon one child if I wish to help the other. But then, someone cold like you wouldn't understand that, since you have everything under control."

"I guess I can imagine it must be tough for you," replied Mearing, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Mearing," said Sentinel.

After opening the driver door, Mearing hopped out and went inside her apartment for the night. Sentinel then drove down the road and reached the base, where Optimus was waiting.

"Optimus," asked Sentinel, "were you waiting for me?"

"Yes," nodded Optimus, "I suppose you had a good time with Mearing?"

"Wait," paused Sentinel, "how did you know?"

"My apologies, Sentinel," explained Optimus, "earlier today, two of our soldiers asked me to help them set you two up on a date."

"Oh, Primus," groaned Sentinel as he facepalmed.

Sentinel Prime now had a sneaky suspicion that Mearing would not be pleased when she finds out about this particular set-up in the morning.


End file.
